Spotted: New Trek Slash
Despite the driving rain, pounding hail and blanket of snow sending cameras into meltdown, our videographer in Zermatt was able to get some clips of what appears to be a new Trek Slash under the Trek Factory Racing team out on the EWS stages this weekend.
The videos (above), show the Trek riders on a bike with a similar livery to last year but some subtle differences that point towards a new frame. The Slash was last updated in 2017 so it feels like it's about time for a refresh and, although this new bike does very much fit the standard Trek silhouette, we're expecting a number of changes that bring it up to date with modern enduro standards.
It looks like the seat post is chunkier than the previous version. There have also been some tweaks to the head tube area with a curve in the downtube meaning the 'Straight Shot' downtube of the previous is no longer a feature on this new bike. The lack of the fork crown bumpers from the current generation is the big clue that something has changed there; will this mean that Knock Block has also been removed from the design?
Given that enduro race bike geometry has moved on a fair way since 2017, we're expecting some changes there with the >65° head angle and 73° effective seat tube angle seeming like likely places Trek will start.
The current generation Slash came out in 2017.
Editor's note for the "review tomorrow" crowd:
Yes, one of the Pinkbike tech editors does have a new Trek enduro bike in for testing and it is launching soon. Information the assigned editor gets about a new bike is siloed off from the rest of the team so that when brands decide to race unannounced bikes like this, we can report on it while still respecting embargoes. The rest of us have no privileged information on the bike. If you'd like to learn more about how we test bikes and work with embargoes, we recorded a podcast about it.
Yes, one of the Pinkbike tech editors does have a new Trek enduro bike in for testing and it is launching soon. Information the assigned editor gets about a new bike is siloed off from the rest of the team so that when brands decide to race unannounced bikes like this, we can report on it while still respecting embargoes. The rest of us have no privileged information on the bike. If you'd like to learn more about how we test bikes and work with embargoes, we recorded a podcast about it.
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hit me up PB
I spotted it in like under 1min.
So basically according to the article it looks like a session.
beefed up seat tube, different shock angle due to seat tube being pushed forward as well as rocker, top tube doesn't
have kink, down tube... well all new front triangle. Looks closer to Session... Ughhh Sorry .
cry me a river
Bontrager Reserve Rims?
Rockshox 38s?
Trek Super Deluxe 160 shock?
Something really odd going on there
Spec on it was, Lyrik RC, SuperDeluxe rear shock, (looked like something new from RS) GX 10-52 eagle, Code's... Pretty killer spec tbh
Now, if a consumer buys one and puts something online, I don't think there is much Trek can do about it .. However, if a shop employee does it, that employee may find themselves getting employee pricing yanked from them...
Joking aside love it when manufacturers walk back on their BS.
Well then, makes it even sillier doesn't it?
We were told the absolute strongest, stiffest front triangle doesn't have the curved downtube all those other manufacturers use.
So now they have curved down tube but kept the Knockback- how dumb is that, really you got the curve back, just make it clear the fork and be done with your stupid idea.
Make up nonsense, slap it on basically a.solid bike. Gradually forget about previous generations of nonsense, replace with new nonsense. Sometimes the nonsense is harmless, sometimes it's actually good, sometimes it is legitimately hindering the bikes. But it ruins any sense of authenticity for anyone paying attention for more than a few months. I always wonder what Trek's lineup could be if they focused on the bikes and not the marketing.
Incidentally, the suspension design of the new Supercaliber falls squarely into this category, but you get pounced on by apologists if you mention it.
like i only learned what "good geo" is a week ago but can tell the geo on this bike clearly sucks
Overall we're good with embargoes. They let media provide more value beyond the marketing blurbs or influencer unboxings, and they let me sleep at night knowing that we're not about to miss something important.
When Trek puts out the embargo info on the dealer site, they don't say "Don't sell before this date" They mainly say don't put the info online.. They know shops are going to be trying to presell these to potential buyers... Even more so this year when bikes are so hard to get..
For what it's worth, I've been drooling over this for the last couple of weeks... But, I have to sell my current bike on the DL so I don't lose EP pricing prelivages and I won't be able to get the new until maybe the time that park season starts in 2021.. Unless I shit a gold brick right now I one of the few 9.9s in a large I saw in stock yesterday are still available ..
15% LIGHTER
35% STIFFER
IT'S BLACK/BLUE!
If you don't wanna post them here could you DM me?
you mean,...ahem....the Twat box?
Basically same frame from 2010 (though its good), costing you more than any other DJ frame available
Common, Trek! team riders using different frame for 5+ years now, let it slide into production as well
www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=218428&pagenum=57
I guess that means the front triangle is now flexy and all...
I've ridden a fair share of bikes which were stiffer than Trek's, all with curved down tubes.
I still remember when i reviewed some 2008ish Trek Remedy where they claimed their "hourglass shaped" head tube was "more aerodynamic"! Like that matters on an AM bike! It was top notch marketing BS then, and it still is.
Want another example? My 29plus trek Stache has a front boost fork and bontrager boost hub - a standard pioneered by trek. Yet, the hub, although stamped with a huge BOOST logo, doesnt have oversized flanges which they claim improve stiffness. See? Even their own products dont always buy their mumbo jumbo
PB in 4 days: Check out the new Slash we've been riding for 3 months!
At least we know it's fast already.
Size XL:
Reach 516mm
Headangle 64°
And seat angle 74° = rides like shit.
You mean, for those who don't want a fast, incredibly stable, composed and up to the task on race courses and DH type trails, right?
What you want is a twitchy, nervous, unstable, prone to OTBs type of bike..yeeaah, that's the real mtb-ing, isn't it?
Having something that's neutral, manueverable and still stable at speed on all but the most extreme terrain is probable better for 95% of the riders out there, whether they want to admit it or not.
That is why I've sold my big bike and currently ride a nuke reactor made with all the parts I considered to be fit to the terrain I ride.
Then again, the Slash has a geo from 2014 or similar. Even my reactor is slacker, lower, longer and probably more stable.
There is a reason for which local DH races started to be won on big spez enduros and jumped-up megatowers; those bikes are the definition of big, fast bikes that can pedal back up the hill. The Slash isn't; and it isn't for some time now. To be even more clear, the guy who won the national DH on his age category, on its SC Megatower also won the last national enduro race on his age category. His previous bike was the Slash, a bike that he keept for 2 years while trying to improve it and make it faster. He was always around or inside the top 10 but never on the podium. A simple switch to a different bike and suddenly, 1st place in an enduro race and first place in the DH nationals...both on the same bike.
I, personally, did not ride the Slash, nor I will ride one anytime soon as I consider them to be mediocre bikes with a high end price.
But he, he has a shop, sales Trek bikes, races them and is one hell of a coatch, although he is in his early 30s.
So yeah, please tell me, us, yourself how an old geo and kinematics are still very good, modern and can be used with succes on any terrain type. Like someone here said, if you need a trail-am bike, then go ahead and by one. If you need a pseudo-dh bike, then go ahead and buy that. But please, stop with the BS towards the big enduro bikes, being too fast, to loong, too etc. Just admit to yourself that you are not that kind of rider and buy the bike appropiate for the terrain you ride for 90% of your time. Not being able to ride/control a big, fast, new school enduro bike is not bike's fault; it's yours!
Slash and Reactor actually have very similar geo figures, all you had to do look them up (the Reactor is longer, granted). I'm actually looking at the Reactor, I think they're neat bikes.
In terms of what the top DH guy is doing, it's pretty irrelevant to the riding and the skills of 99% riders buying bikes, buuuuut if that's the direction we want to go down....we just saw Finn Illes lay waste to a field of top enduro pros on a freaking Stumpjumper. Here's a factory DH guy who had access to any bike in the Specialized lineup and decided to just run a Stumpy with a coil instead of the mighty Enduro. And there are lots and lots of examples of EWS guys/gals running the "all mountain" rigs because they suit their styles/terrain better.
Point is not that those big bikes aren't rad, it's just that....variety is good. And inevitably, building a bike that can compete with DH bikes will create compromises. Different types of bikes suit different types of riders over different types of courses/trails. When everyone is chasing the same trend, that gets a bit lost in the mix. I think having bikes like the Slash, Ripmo and Process that combine good pedaling, manageable wheelbase and aggressive but not extreme head angles in a fun big mountain platform. No need to get all pissy about it.
PS- I have no illusions over my mad skillz
I said "my reactor", not any reactor. Mine is 5 mm longer in reach and also in wb and the lower cup is external, which also ads around 7 or 8mm. Basically, it is longer, slacker, has a higher stack and longer reach. It is bigger than a size L Slash and much-much bigger than a corespondent size M.
So, if a trail bike is everything the current Slash isn't, what does that says to you?